At the time of writing, hair tinsel is trending. Whilst on one hand this is a joyous and long-awaited time for the Hair Sparkles® product, I have also never rolled my eyes, clutched at my pearls or winced as much as I have recently at the content of some of the many articles, posts and publications offering ‘expertise’ on the subject.
Experts in the field of Hair Sparkling are a rare breed. I class myself as a bit of a purist when it comes to application techniques, although I do appreciate that in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t REALLY matter how people are wearing them, as long as they are doing so and loving them that’s the main thing.
However.
There is a difference between a trend or fad, and a respected professional service that has been around for years, albeit largely under the radar. Some headlines would have you believe that hair tinsel was released in the 90s, filed away for a few years, reopened briefly by Beyonce in 2010, packed up with the Christmas decorations then rediscovered recently in a box in the corner of the attic. Most images of applications I am seeing are fully embracing the adage ‘more is more’, featuring bunches of tinsel clamped into the hair with microbeads, the results of which are impressive but definitely not the sort of look most people would be wanting long-term. A look, in fact, (and pardon the blatant ad) that is perfectly achievable with our Clip-In Sparkles which have the advantage of being instantly removeable and reusable, time and again!
It’s frustrating that the subtle beauty of the service ‘done properly’ will inevitably pass some people by, as they will just see and remember the high voltage version. Without exception, all of my regular clients want Sparkles they can wear every day, in any situation. They love a delicate sprinkling of glitter carefully placed and delicately applied. They want a look that enhances their own style, not a showpiece flash of tinsel that sits awkwardly on top of their hair; screaming loudly for attention, rather than subtly attracting it.
So how ‘should’ we be attaching tinsel? In my opinion, the best way is tying each strand to an individual hair, using the slip knot method for ease, or the trickier professional method using a latch hook for speed. Hands down. Every day. I tried and tested all the different ways of attaching Hair Sparkles before settling on these methods, and micro beads don’t even get a look-in. I do (or at least did) use them, for attaching hair feathers (before I moved on to nano beads, which all my clients prefer because they are teeny tiny). But if there was a way of attaching hair feathers without using a bead, I’d be all over it. There is simply no need to use them for tinsel, so I don’t! My clients love that the Sparkles just fix almost invisibly to their hair, and because it’s a single hair with no beads the Sparkles don’t catch or matt.
Ultimately there is no absolute right or wrong way to go about it, but there are definitely better or worse ways. The tinsel trend as a brash gimmick may burn fast and bright, but the professional Hair Sparkles service is still on the ascent, and here to stay.
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